According to our research, hiring managers looking to fill Brand Manager role ask soft skills interview questions 26% more frequently than for other roles:

1. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?top question

How to answer

This question belongs to a family of behavioral, or even more precisely, reflective questions. The interviewer wants to see whether you are reflective about yourself, whether you are ambitious and strive to grow as a professional, whether you like to learn and develop your skills. They are also looking for your ambitions to fit the career path opportunities related to the position you are applying for.

About Yourself

Presumably, you are interested to grow professionally. Think about the possibilities that may lie ahead for you: take a personality test (I recommend 16Personalities which is a Myers&Briggs-based test), research the internet on what career paths are possible with your skills and current job. What challenges do you like overcoming? For example, if you are applying for a software tester position, you may find it fascinating to master automated testing in full and eventually become a software engineer, or you may be a natural trainer and love coaching other people which may lead you to become a QA team or department lead, or you may be more interested in understanding business aspects of requirements which may logically lead you into a Business Analyst position. However, if you are happy just where you are and want to further your current skills, that is also fine as long as there is a growth path for you that can be imagined and described.

About The Company

Research the company to learn what career opportunities may be available in the department you are applying to, and what the trends are in the company in general. Is the business expanding, are they opening new locations, or starting new projects? Or are they heavily automating and cutting staff? Let’s say you are applying for a UX designer position for a brand-new product. In the future, if the product becomes a success - which is what the company hopes for - the company will hire more designers and you may become a lead designer, or you may become a product manager.

On a side note: If you train your mind to be open to opportunities you will be amazed at how much this world has to offer to you!

About The Fit

And of course, try to see where the perfect fit lies between your own potential and aspirations, and the company’s trends and hopes. However, beware of the risk of showing too much excitement for future opportunities compared to your attitude towards the current position. If you aren’t really excited about the position you are applying for and you demonstrate this lack of enthusiasm, the interviewer may conclude that you are not a good fit for the current position. Try to find a source of excitement in the current position as well, otherwise, you may be doing yourself a disservice by applying to a position you will find boring in 2-3 months.

Pro Tip

This question gives you a good opportunity to showcase your Key Selling Points (e.g. “as I am very good at delegating tasks, I can easily see myself leading a team of software testers in the future…”), and end your statement by asking about current initiatives and goals at the company.

It is generally NOT a good idea to say something like “Oh, I cannot imagine what happens to me tomorrow, let alone in 5 years”. This will show you as a person who is unimaginative and not forward-thinking enough to grow with and be a good fit for the company.

2. Tell me about yourself

How to answer

This question may sound vague, but it actually requires a matter of fact, concise and relevant answer. Here’s how you can approach it.

About Yourself

What is your current occupation? Define yourself professionally in one statement. Pick 3 key skills that make you great at your work (your Key Selling Points). How have you applied these skills? Try to give some numbers to support your statement.

About The Company

Research the Company. Based on what you know about the company and the job description, why are you interested in the position you are applying for?

About The Fit

Based on your Key Selling Points and your knowledge about the company, why do you think you are a good fit for this position? Can you support your statement with relevant examples from your past experiences? Try to be concise and stay within 1-2 minutes.

Pro Tip

You can also end with a question like “Do you know what the current needs in the company/department are, where my skills and experience can help?" That can help you learn more about the company and the job, turn the "interrogation" into a conversation and will allow you to relax some tension.

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3. Tell me about your greatest professional accomplishment

How to answer

Of all your accomplishments (and I am sure you’ve had a great many of them!), you should choose the one most relevant to this job position.

About Yourself

Write down your Key Selling Points - your top 3-5 skills that make you a strong professional.

Write down a list of your top 3-5 professional accomplishments that you are most proud of. No need for lengthy descriptions, just 1-2 words for each one to help you recall each situation. Make sure you have developed the story behind each accomplishment and have a strong command of the details of what happened so that you can tell the story clearly and distinctly.

Along with each accomplishment, mark which of your Key Selling Points they showcase. How exactly?

About The Company

Based on your research of the company, what are their current needs? What are the major projects going on? What are the expectations for the position you are applying for?

About The Fit

Try to imagine yourself being an employee of the company you are applying to, say, at your 6th month into the job. Which of your Key Selling Points and accomplishments would be most relevant to the company? What “have you accomplished at your new job?”

Choose the most relevant accomplishment from your list and then practice telling your story.

Pro Tip

Most enterprises are now going through major transformations, often called Digital Transformation. Do your research on what it means and what is often involved, to get a better idea of the current goals and environments in companies. But one thing that definitely characterizes this transformation is striving for agility.

In particular, for startups (if you are applying to a startup or a small business), agility is their middle name, in order for them to survive among bigger sharks in the market.

So, demonstrating qualities like agility and adaptability should generally be helpful and quite a safe choice in most circumstances today.

4. Why did you leave your last job?

How to answer

This question may be a little touchy for some people, but it's a question asked by interviewers, to find out why you left, in order to better understand how you may or may not make a good fit with their company. Remember, never speak ill of your old company (this will not go over well).

About Yourself

Most likely, there are three possible reasons you left or are leaving your last job:

You are looking for a career change,

You are unhappy with your current employment,

You were let go.

Whatever the reason, it's best to always speak in a positive light.

About The Company

Based on your research about the ompany and the position, what do you like most about the company?

About The Fit

If you are looking for career advancement or a career change, you can be very upfront and honest. Be as enthusiastic as you can about the position.

If you were unhappy with your previous job, focus on the positives. Talk about the ways that you will best fit in with the company, in the role for which you're applying.

If you were let go, focus on the positive. Share your accomplishments at your previous employment.

Pro Tip

Whatever the reason you are looking for a new opportunity, always turn things around to show how you are the perfect fit for the job for which you are interviewing!

5. What are your salary requirements?

How to answer

This question seems factual, but it gauges how well you value yourself and how well you know your industry. This is your opportunity to present yourself as a qualified professional and get a proper salary! Read on to learn how you can answer this question with confidence, using an analytical approach. The answer may be given as a range or as a single target number.

About Yourself

The first thing to research is the salary range for your role in the market. What is the industry standard? Glassdoor, LinkedIn and other similar sights are useful for this purpose.

Next, think of your qualifications for the role. Weigh in your traits, skills, education, and experience. Try this exercise, draw a line on a piece of paper where on the left side sits a complete beginner, and on the right side - the best professional in the world the company may try to invite for the role. Where do you position yourself?

Now, remember that once you start in your new role, your qualifications will be growing fast, due to all the new experience you will be gaining - consequently, your value will rise as well. Your salary, on the other hand, will not increase as quickly. So, try to imagine where your qualifications will bring you, on that scale, in about a year into the new job.

Map the scale against the industry range. Now you should be able to come up with an objective figure, as opposed to pure speculation.This is not real math, however, so your number cannot be very precise, of course. Define a range, which starts with the minimum that will keep you satisfied a few months into the job, and the maximum which, a year into the job, will give you the lifestyle you would ideally like to have at that time.

Make sure the range stays within 40%-60% between extremes. Remember, the higher the position up the ladder, the wider the range can be. What is the number in the middle? Will you feel comfortable with this number?

About The Company

Research the company and find out what they are paying. The best places to find this information are Glassdoor, LinkedIn, PayScale and other similar websites.

About The Fit

Based on your research, does the company fit your desired salary range?

Now, whether you should be giving a range, or a single target number is a matter of debate. I personally think that a single number, given in a suggestive manner, is better than the range, because when given a range, they may logically gravitate towards the lower end, especially since you’ve said that the lower number is acceptable.

One example of how to structure your answer of a single target number is this:

I have done my research and based on the average for the industry, location, and my level of expertise, something like XXX seems reasonable to me. What do you think?

Besides giving the factual answer that the interviewer is asking for, such an answer will also show you to be someone who takes the initiative, who goes the extra mile, and someone with data-driven and analytical mindset.

Pro Tip

Firstly try asking the interviewer to give you their intended range as budgeted for this role, which is a regular practice in most companies. However, don’t be too evasive and if you see they are not inclined to give you their number, name yours.

6. What is your greatest weakness?

How to answer

This question ranks as the most challenging for many people. Fortunately, Mr. Simon is here to help!

Interviewers ask this question to gauge your level of self-awareness, your honesty and openness, and your capability for self-improvement.

About Yourself

No one is perfect and your interviewer doesn't expect you to be perfect either.

While it is good to be honest and open, it will not help you to put yourself down. What's important is to find a weakness that you have overcome or something that is not related to the position for which you are applying.

For example, one of our clients admitted that he is not very good at public speaking and that he has recently become a member of Toastmasters International to improve. What a respectful answer and approach, in my view!

About The Company

Research the company (website, social media, etc) to learn about the company culture. What personal and professional qualities do they value?

About The Fit

It is important that the weakness you decide to talk about is not one that will prevent you from performing the job for which you're applying.

For example, if you're applying for a front-end developer position, do not talk about how you are struggling to understand HTML code.

Pro Tip

Use this question to sell yourself! It's important to show how well you've overcome a weakness by motivating yourself and learning a new skill to grow professionally.

7. How would you describe yourself?

How to answer

This question is like the Tell me about yourself question usually asked at the beginning of an interview, but there are some subtle differences. It belongs to the family of Reflective questions where the interviewer is assessing your cognitive abilities, as opposed to the more factual and matter-of-fact “Tell Me About Yourself” question.

About Yourself

Think of how your bosses and peers would describe you. Throughout your professional experience, you have probably heard them giving you some labels – try to remember the exact words they used. If you have received LinkedIn recommendations from someone, read those and think why people wrote them and what work situations prompted those descriptions. Remember the context of those situations and frame them as stories.

Make a list of keywords, or short key phrases, that can describe you. Your Key Selling Points should definitely appear on this list, but try to also use some adjectives here, to add a positive emotional touch.

About The Company

Research the company’s values, standards and policies. Make a list of keywords or short key phrases.

About The Fit

Which of your keywords correspond best with those of the company? Highlight 3-4 matches. Now try to imagine being a peer or a boss of yours and compile statements about yourself, in the 3rd person, mentioning these keywords. Remember to use adjectives, and don’t be afraid to mention real references from real people.

For example, if you are applying for a position that requires good people skills, and your boss at your previous job called you a “conflict resolution guru,” don’t be shy to mention this reference, and provide a brief context that caused your boss’s praise. Use the STAR method to craft your story.

Don’t limit yourself with just one keyword. If you are concise and don’t ramble with your answer, your interviewer will probably want to hear more than one. Just be observant and watch the interviewer’s reaction. You want to keep them interested.

Pro Tip

If you haven’t yet received any LinkedIn recommendations, try to obtain them. Also, offer to write your own recommendations for them - both received and given recommendations will be visible in your profile and will tell the interviewer exactly what you want to be known about your values, your attitude towards work and relationships.

8. What were your responsibilities in your last job?

How to answer

This is a good opportunity to demonstrate that you have experience or knowledge suitable for the job you are applying for. Even if you have never done exactly this specific kind of job, usually you should be able to name a few “transferable” skills that you used in your previous work assignments that are quite easily applicable to the position you are applying for.

About Yourself

Remember your last (or current) job and compile a list of things you had to do while working there. If you don’t know where to start, picture your typical working day at one of your previous jobs, or college day if you are applying for your first job ever. Describe the categories of tasks in bullet points. Then, try to remember the less ordinary tasks you had to do as well, and add them to the list.

About The Company

Research the company and the job description. What do you expect to be doing in this job? How would your performance be measured? List a few items in bullet points.

About The Fit

Choose a few task categories that seem like a match between your experience and the requirements of the current position. Think of a couple of relevant examples to illustrate your experience. Craft your stories using the STAR method.

Pro Tip

Optionally, you can end with a question like “Does this correspond with the expectations for this role? Could you give me an example of what is expected from a successful candidate within the first, say, 3 months?" That can help you learn more about the company and the job, turn the "interrogation" into a conversation and will allow you to relax some tension.

9. What was the biggest mistake you made in your most recent job? How did you handle it?

How to answer

It’s important to know how to answer a job interview question about mistakes. They ask questions like this to learn how you handle challenges. They also want to determine your weaknesses, and decide if you have what it takes to do the job well. It’s a chance for the interviewer to see that you can learn from your mistakes and use the experience to get better.

About Yourself

Do your best to tell a positive story about how the mistake was made, how you dealt with it and what learned from it. We all make mistakes from time-to-time. Answering some of the following questions will help you understand your own view of dealing with mistakes and their consequences. For instance:

How do you use a mistake to improve your abilities?

Are you self-aware enough to acknowledge failure and weakness?

Do you take smart risks?

How do you view success, failure, and risk in general?

Do you take responsibility for past mistakes instead of putting the blame on others?

If the situation repeats, what would you do differently? What would you do again?

About The Company

Before the interview, look over the job listing, research the company. Try to think of a mistake you have made in the past that is not too closely related to the requirements of the job you are interviewing for. What kind of challenges might you face if you get the job here?

About The Fit

It’s your opportunity to emphasize the skills or qualities you gained from your past negative experience that are important for the job you’re interviewing for now. Put a positive spin on your response by defining the “mistake” as a “learning experience” that led to your increased competency in the workplace. Talk about a specific example of a time you made a mistake. Briefly explain what the mistake was; quickly switch over to what you learned, or how you improved, after making that mistake. You might also explain the steps you took to make sure that mistake never happened again. Say that something you may have struggled with in the past has actually now became one of your strengths. Pick a story that ends with a compelling example of a lesson learned. Tell your story using the STAR method.

Pro Tip

Make absolutely sure that the interviewer understands that you learned from the experience. Never blame others for what you did (however, if you were part of a team failure, you could relate this experience, just be sure to own up to your part in it). Always be accountable for what you could have done differently in the failure. Demonstrate that you’ve had the maturity to benefit from previous “lessons learned” and you can move on with increased wisdom and competency.

10. What is your ideal work environment?

How to answer

Happy and motivated employees are great at work when compared to employees who are uncomfortable with the organization’s work culture. This means that work culture plays an important role in the performance of the employees. Interviewers ask this question to understand your potential in the workplace and your personality; they want to uncover whether you’re the sort of individual who can excel in the type of environment they offer.

About Yourself

To describe your ideal work environment, you need to make the answer fit both your professional and personal preferences.

What inspires and motivates you?

What kind of work environment helps you to be at your best?

What talents can you reveal when you are comfortable?

What aspects of your character can increase your professional opportunities?

Are you flexible enough to adjust to different environments without any issues if needed?

About The Company

Your answer should reflect the working environment of the business you’re interviewing with, so it’s important that you research the company thoroughly. Head over to their website and read their mission statement and other hints at their culture. Look on LinkedIn for any contacts you may have that know about the company (or even better, that actually work or worked there) and reach out to them for insights. Read feedbacks on websites like Glassdoor. What goals does the company have? Does it have formal or informal structures? What does it value in its employees?

About The Fit

Work environment not only means the culture of the company but also refers to the physical place where you will be working. In addition to considering the type of company you will be working for, you should also think about things such as the size of the office, the size of your future team, and what you see around you, when you are in for the interview. Make sure that your vision aligns with the company’s existing cultural and physical environment. Regardless of the size of the company, you should be able to tell the interviewer why that company fits what you are looking for. If you are applying to a larger company, you might want to emphasize that job security is important to you. If your prospective job is with a smaller company - state that knowing everyone’s name allows you to feel connected. To convince them that you’re the ideal candidate you should focus on your aspirations for future and professional growth. Also, mention your teamwork skills. Say that it should be the place where you can work with different people to produce the best results possible. Ensure the interviewer that you are someone who knows exactly what you want.

Pro Tip

If you want to leave a lasting impression of yourself, don’t build your answer just with the company, its website information and its manner of operations. Try to be unique and stay away from clichés.

This page has been updated on March 26, 2020.

You can practice answering this question, as well as over 160 other common job interview questions for Brand Manager by engaging in a mock interview with Mr. Simon. As an artificial being, his undeniable benefits include: